SANBS amps up its drive to collect blood in honour of Nelson Mandela Day
Matsimbi added that all precautionary measures are in place to ensure the health and safety of donors and staff alike.
Blood stock levels for Mpumalanga are rapidly depleting, according to the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) donor relations practitioner, Relebogile Matsimbi.
“We are currently sitting on 3,5 days’ stock levels and ideally, we need five days’ cover to meet demand from hospitals,” she said.
Level 3 lockdown has severely impacted the institution’s ability to collect the life-saving fluid as people’s movements continue to be restricted.
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Matsimbi continued, “To raise more awareness about the importance of donating blood, the SANBS is embarking on a drive which started yesterday, to collect blood at all our donor centres.
“This includes i”langa Mall, Riverside Mall, Lydenburg, Pick n Pay White River and the University of Mpumalanga. We are battling to collect donations as we are not allowed at schools and some businesses do not allow us access as they conform with social distancing protocols,” said Matsimbi.
This Mandela Day, as we mark the day celebrated the world over on July 18, the South African National Blood Service encourages South Africans to choose a path similar to that of our former president – of active citizenship, nation-building and serving others.
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This year, the SANBS challenges you to take action and inspire change by committing to blood donation and encouraging family and friends to do the same. To make a difference takes less than 67 minutes of your time.
David Porter, who suffers from haemophilia, relies on generous blood donations to stay healthy. He is one of the people who are benefitting from your selfless acts. “I urge everyone, please don’t let Covid-19 stop you from donating blood. There are still people who need blood, including myself and I need it to lead a normal life,” Porter said.
The drive will continue until Saturday at Pick n Pay White River and on Monday at the University of Mpumalanga.
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Matsimbi added that all precautionary measures are in place to ensure the health and safety of donors and staff alike.
“We are following all the protocols stipulated by government and the Institute for Communicable Diseases,” she concluded.
